Hoplocephalus bungaroides
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The broad-headed snake (Hoplocephalus bungaroides) is a species of venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is restricted to the Sydney Basin in New South Wales, Australia. It is one of three snakes in the genus Hoplocephalus, all restricted to eastern Australia. It is currently endangered in New South Wales and is listed as vulnerable under the Commonwealth Legislation.
The broad-headed snake has had a confused taxonomy. The species name Naja bungaroides, with an insufficient diagnosis, was originally coined in 1828 by Friedrich Boie for the king cobra. Johann Georg Wagler validated N. bungaroides in 1830 with a more accurate diagnosis and reclassified it into its own genus, Hoplocephalus. In 1837, German naturalist Hermann Schlegel officially described the broad-headed snake, but broke the principle of priority by using the name Naja bungaroides for it and moving the king cobra to Naja bungarus. The species name Hoplocephalus bungaroides became conflated with the broad-headed snake after this, despite technically being the oldest name for the king cobra. The discrepancy was finally discovered in 2024; due to the longstanding usage of the species name in the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Broad-headed Snake sighting in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 36 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 29th most-seen of the 44 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Broad-headed Snake in Blue Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and July, the lowest months. That is one of Blue Mountains National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain against 150 mm in March.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Broad-headed Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Broad-headed Snake sightings, Blue Mountains National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Royal National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Elapidae
The closest relatives of the Broad-headed Snake that you can see in Blue Mountains National Park (family Elapidae, Elapid Snakes) are Red-bellied Black Snake (about 30%), Highlands Copperhead (about 30%) and Eastern Tiger Snake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Broad-headed Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Blue Mountains National Park (36 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
